Previously, national bans did not have sufficient legal weight meaning that countries enacting them could easily be taken to court by companies.

Because Member States will have the power to enact national bans, the EU Commission is expected to increase the number of GMOs authorised for cultivation in Europe. As a consequence, the risk of GMO contamination increases for both the conventional and organic sector, especially in countries that are traditionally support GM cultivation and across their borders . Moreover, the costs of GMO contamination will be borne by the organic and GM-free sector, as effective liability regimes are not mandatory.

IFOAM EU is convinced that the most effective way to protect both consumers’ rights and the integrity of the organic sector is to ban GMOs at EU level. This is why IFOAM EU advocates for better policy frameworks to protect the organic sector from GMO contamination.